this is bbc news. the headlines at two. the government rejects calls to bring in commissioners to run kensington and chelsea council but says it will keep a close eye as the council prepares to elect a new leader. the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary david davis claims negotiations with the eu are being "hamstrung" by theresa may's lack of flexibility. the prominent film critic and former bbc presenter, barry norman, dies at the age of 83. the director—general of the bbc, tony hall has described him as a first class presenter and critic. also in the next hour... marching against austerity. thousands take to the streets in central london — the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell is due to address the rally when it arrives in parliament square this afternoon. the singer adele cancels two concerts this weekend at wembley stadium — the singer says she has damaged her vocal cords. in rugby, a late penalty

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from owen farrell secures the british and irish lions victory in new zealand, levelling the three test series. and in half an hour — the travel show heads to hong kong on the trail of martial arts supremo bruce lee. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the government has indicated it won't bring in external commissioners to run kensington and chelsea council following the grenfeel tower fire disaster. the local government secretary, sajid javid, said it would monitor the process to elect a new leader of the authority following the resignation of nicholas paget—brown yesterday, and it would take further action, if it was needed. frankie mccamley reports.

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it was the breakdown of this, the first cabinet meeting at the council since the fire at grenfell tower that led to the resignation of its leader, nicholas paget—brown. that led to the resignation of its leader, nicholas paget-brown. as council leader, i have to accept my share of responsibility for these perceived failings. pressure had been mounting on the council following intense criticism of the way the disaster had been handled from day one. i completely understand the anger, the frustration of the local community. but i, of course, we were not immediately quick off the ground, it was an enormous tragedy. i don't know if everyone realised how complex and how fast this fire was. i challenge any borough in the whole country to immediately have an action plan they could put into

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place. the resignation has been welcomed by many including the mayor of london, sadiq khan who in a letter to the prime minister urged her to get a grip and immediately appoint commissioners to run the borough. he wrote, commissioners who are untainted should take over the running of the council to act in the best interests of residence. but some in this community that already feels like it has been failed by the authorities are sceptical of the appointment process. they cannot just impose their old boy network and their friends and family scheme that they seem to operate elsewhere. there needs to be a proper process of selection of those commissioners and that has to be community led, they cannot do that on their own. we will not be imposed upon at state level again. it is understood that the council will elect a new leader next week with the hope of rebuilding trust with those who have had their lives shattered by this

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tragedy. frankie the comely, bbc news. professor tony travers is an expert at the london school of economics and he thinks the government has made the right decision to not bring in commissioners at kensington and chelsea council. i think that, from the point of view of the government, there is a balance here. despite the fa ct there is a balance here. despite the fact that kensington and chelsea appeared to be perfectly well run before this disaster, the truth is that the response to it has not been brilliant and there are all sorts of reasons that will doubtlessly be unravelled by their enquiry. in the short term, the government probably does not want to appear to be taking over, overriding local democracy and actually from the point of view of the government, being much more directly held to account for what is happening on a day—to—day basis in north kensington. professor tony travers there. the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary has said negotiations with the eu are being "hamstrung" by theresa may's lack of flexibility. james chapman worked

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closely with david davis, and told the bbc that the red lines set by the prime minister had made his former boss's job very difficult as he conducts talks with the european union. with me is our political correspondent jonathan blake. jonathan, expand a little bit on what james chapman had jonathan, expand a little bit on whatjames chapman had to jonathan, expand a little bit on what james chapman had to say. he says that david davis was put into a difficult position by the prime minister, theresa may in terms of the red line as he put it that she has set out for the brexit negotiations and he specifically talks about the european court of justice, the highest court in the eu. the eu has said clearly that it wa nted eu. the eu has said clearly that it wanted to have a role and expects it to have a role in guaranteeing the rights of eu citizens living in the uk poster brags about theresa may has been clear that it should have no jurisdiction has been clear that it should have nojurisdiction in the uk has been clear that it should have no jurisdiction in the uk and has been clear that it should have nojurisdiction in the uk and many people who voted labour may agree with that, thinking that if we are leaving the eu, they should have no authority. he spoke strongly about some other areas where he thinks

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david davis job has some other areas where he thinks david davisjob has been a particularly difficult. she has taken some absolutist positions on some issues, particularly on the european court of justice. some issues, particularly on the european court ofjustice. she has set a red line effectively that has hamstrung these negotiations in my view. david davis, there is no one better to be doing this negotiation in parliament, he is a tough and resilient operator. the red lines have been set for him and make his job extremely difficult. he is a former adviser to david davis. do we have any idea how much his comments have any idea how much his comments have been sanctioned by david davis? no, there has been no comment on the department or david davis himself. to that end, no comment from number 10 to that end, no comment from number io either. i think we can assume that it would be unlikely forjames chapman to come out and say these things without david davis giving his blessing. he was in thejob until very recently and as far as we know, has no particular axe to grind on that basis. if it does reflect

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the position of david davis, maybe he is feeling a little bit frustrated and feeling that his hands are tied to an extent in what is already a very difficult and complex operation. others are saying that this is david davis potentially using james chapman to get his excusesin using james chapman to get his excuses in early should the negotiations go wrong or fail. excuses in early should the negotiations go wrong orfail. i think we have to take his comments at face value and it is an interesting insight from someone who until relatively recently was working right alongside the brexit secretary who is charged with negotiating the uk's exit from the eu. many thanks. jeremy corbyn has held up rally in what he says is the start of the tour of every marginal constituency of the country. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has held a rally in hastings in what he says is the start of a tour of every marginal constituency in the country. the home secretary amber rudd held the seat of hastings and rye byjust 346 votes last month. and mr corbyn told supporters

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he hoped labour would soon be fighting the next general election. he called for an end to the cap on public sector pay and what he said was a forty percent cut to local councils. stay together to win hastings and rye. stand together to win a general election. stand together to transform our society. achieve what is possible in this world. and that is the sharing and protecting of the world's riches and resources, not the everlasting trip down the road to misery which is the great gap between the richest and poorest. it is wrong, it is immoral, it is unnecessary. do you know what, we are changing things already. we have changed the nature of public debate. thousands of protesters are gathering in central london for a march against austerity. the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell is due to address the rally when it arrives in parliament square later. it comes after a labour bid to get bigger pay rises for nurses, firefighters and other public servants was narrowly defeated this week in the commons. we've been speaking to a couple of the people

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who are demonstrating. our correspondent tom burridge is at the rally. tom. quite an impressive turnout here. if you look in that direction, that is towards piccadilly circus and down at the other end where they are marching is essentially the house of commons. a lot of people here, we met firemen from west yorkshire, they feel passionately in their view, public service cuts were partly to blame, possibly for the fire at grenfell tower. that seems to be the message we are getting, there are teachers, people from all there are teachers, people from all the main unions, this is the left in britain flexing its muscles. a positive election result forjeremy corbyn. let us bring in some protesters. why a re corbyn. let us bring in some protesters. why are you here? anger, to be honest. what is going on under

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the tory government, there have been cuts to every service. housing for women. refugees. how can we be cutting on vital services? how can you justify that? it is not good enough. it is really noisy but we will bear with that? how much of a factor has the fire at grenfell tower been in drawing people here? most people are here to fight for justice. i think everyone is fighting for the same reason. we are giving a voice to the voiceless, for those who passed away. we need answers. we cannot be silent, we have to come out here. thank you

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very much to you both. quite an impressive turnout, difficult to say how many people have come out, but they are going to go down to the house of commons. jeremy corbyn is expected to address the crowd later andi expected to address the crowd later and i guess a lot of people here believe the tide is turning or has turned to a certain extent when it comes to public opinion and austerity, but i guess the debate over how much austerity, the country needs, will rage on. tom, i think we are going to leave it there because the picture is breaking up slightly. thank you very much indeed. three men have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. detectives from the metropolitan police's counter—terrorism command, assisted by officers from sussex police, arrested two men in essex and a third in east sussex at around 6pm on friday. the men, two aged 28 and one aged 31, are being held in custody at a south london police station. two men have been arrested at

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heathrow airport when they arrived ona heathrow airport when they arrived on a flight from turkey. the film critic barry norman has died aged 83, his family have said. the journalist and former bbc presenter died in his sleep on friday night. norman was best known as the host of film on bbc one from 1972 until 1998. the director general of the bbc tony hall has paid tribute — he said barry norman was a first class presenter and critic. film buffs always found his programmes essential viewing. he dominated broadcasting about films for a generation with wit and great knowledge. he will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends." the short time ago my colleague

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spoke to barry norman's literary agent. he had been living with lung cancerfor agent. he had been living with lung cancer for the past couple of years. he had some wonderful times, but i think he felt now was the time to go. what do you make of the impact he had on the appreciation of film in this country? his career as a film critic, not just in this country? his career as a film critic, notjust on television, although he was kind of, for my generation, the face of film at the bbc, but also as a writer, because long after he stopped presenting, he was still writing columns for the radio times and long before that, he had been writing very successfully asa had been writing very successfully as a newspaperjournalist. that's right. it was probably that background as a newspaper journalist and interviewer and

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features writer that all came together to make him such a gifted film critic. he could not only appreciate the story of the film, but all the talent that had gone into making the film. i think that is what we remember from the programme. he brought the perspective from every side of the camera. he was meticulous about his attention to detail. the thing that a lwa ys attention to detail. the thing that always struck me watching the programme was he would pick up something really quite small and then he could build almost a thesis about the film and what the director was trying to achieve and whether or not they had managed it, from just what almost seemed like detail you would not have noticed on first viewing. he was a consummate professional. he knew all those details really mattered and counted and they do not think he was trying to catch anyone out, but he had a way of reading something, so he really had to pay attention to those details to get the full meaning. what sort of films did he lie, to enjoy? he did a series some years ago in one of the newspapers were he

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talked about a number of films, i cannot remember what his favourite film was, i think he had very tastes. do you think he felt that film was still holding its own at this end of the century and the beginning of the 21st century? we are told that people are still going to the cinema in large numbers, but it is so accessible in other mediums now and i wondered whether he was as enthusiastic about moving with the times in that regard, as perhaps some younger generations. times in that regard, as perhaps some younger generationslj times in that regard, as perhaps some younger generations. i think he knew that film and entertainment was a very broad church and was excellence to be got in our toes and entertainment and a lack of excellence sometimes in both. he began watching what are called box sets these days and he and his family were fascinated by them and i think he really appreciated those

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film—making qualities being put into television drama. i grew up watching him on those film programmes and he shaped my entire understanding of film and when i came to represent about ten years ago, it was like representing one of the true greats. the headlines on bbc news: councillors at kensington and chelsea council are preparing to elect a new leader after the current one resigned over what he said as perceived failures in their handling of the grenfell tower fire disaster. the former chief of staff to david davis claims negotiations with the eu are being undermined by theresa may's lack of flexibility. as you are hearing, the prominent film critic and former bbc presenter barry norman has died at the age of 83. tony hall has described him as a first—class presenter and critic. the chinese president, xijinping,

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says his government won't tolerate any challenge to its sovereignty in hong kong. mr xi was speaking at a ceremony to mark the twentieth anniversary of the handover of the former british colony to china. his comments came as several pro—democracy activists were arrested after clashing with both police and pro—beijing demonstrators. juliana liu reports from hong kong. an historic day for hong kong. government officials, including the incoming chief executive carrie lam, gathered for the flag—raising ceremony — marking 20 years since the city was handed from the uk to china. here she is being officially sworn in by the chinese president xijinping. mrs lam is the first woman to hold the position of chief executive and is vowing to restore trust in the local government. translation: we will provide more opportunities for young people

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to discuss, debate and participate in politics, to deepen their understanding and trust for the government, and to make them future leaders for our society. the president repeated china's commitment to the one—country, two systems formula which guarantees hong kong's freedoms, but he also had strong words for those calling for self—determination or even outright independence. translation: any attempt to endanger china's sovereignty, challenge the power of the central government, or use hong kong to carry out sabotage activities against the mainland, is an act that crosses the red line and is not permissible. this was the scene on the streets just outside the building where the inauguration took place. hong kong is a deeply divided city, between those who want more democracy, and those who want greater integration with china. it's too soon to say whether mrs lam will be able to bridge the gap.

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she's already talked about efforts to try to heal these divisions in society, because she does inherit a very polarised city and very polarised public opinion, but it's unclear how she will be able to succeed in doing that. she started out as a very popular career civil servant, but in the last few years her reputation has really changed. she's now widely seen as a beijing loyalist, which complicates efforts to bring disparate groups together. scuffles like this are visible examples of competing visions for hong kong. the differences are so great, that they're unlikely to be resolved any time soon. juliana liu, bbc news, hong kong. our china correspondentjoins me now

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from hong kong were rallies are taking place and given the controversy, it is easy to forget that this is an anniversary and a celebration and those celebrations have gone off rather spectacularly. yes, it has been a day of partying and protesting to mark 20 years since hong kong was hounded from britain back to the chinese mainland. and this evening we have seen some really spectacular fireworks. despite the pouring rain, the harbour front was absolutely crammed with people who were down there, to watch the fireworks and they were not deterred, by absolutely pouring down summer rains. it is images like these that the central government would be hoping would fill local people with pride in being hong kong resident but also pride in being chinese and that this might somehow ameliorate some of the concerns that people have about the way this place has been governed. after all, the

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fireworks celebration came after a day of mass protests in which we saw many tens of thousands of people marching through the centre of hong kong for our on end, reminding the president that certain freedoms were promised here and those protesters are saying that they feel the independence of the judiciary, the right to associate, freedom of speech, had been under threat, with the new chinese leader in place. and how close are the protesters allowed to get to the president?” how close are the protesters allowed to get to the president? i afraid this is —— and they're not going to get close to the president. the events were attended by selected guests, high—ranking members of the party or party loyalist, anyway —— michael anyone who would not embarrass him. they will not let protesters in who will remind the president about their concerns. his message to them as being, don't

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worry, one country, two systems is still in place, 20 years after hong kong was handed over, this is still a city with guaranteed freedoms, as long as you don't threaten the basic sovereignty of the place and that is a line he drew today, saying, you cannot be talking about independence. this is something that independence. this is something that independence protest might be worried about in the future, because it is unclear what he meant by this threat. most protesters here, it would be fair to say, still want to remain part of china, as long as hong kong's unique freedoms are guaranteed by the central government. steven mcdonnell in hong kong. thank you very much. it's been exactly 10 years since the smoking ban was introduced in pubs and other licensed premises in england. it hasn't been popular with everybody, but campaigners say the legislation has helped two million smokers to kick the habit, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports.

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over a decade ago, lighting up in restaurants, pubs and bars, in fact, any enclosed public space was the norm but all that changed with the ban in england on this day, in 2007, bringing it in line with the rest of the uk. smoking rates are now at their lowest ever recorded in britain — there are nowjust over 8 million smokers. according to cancer research uk, that means 2 million people have given up cigarettes since the ban. the proportion of 16 — 2a year olds who smoke is now just i7%. an all—time low. what we are after is a smoke—free generation. we are part—way there. we see the smoking rate in younger people dropping more people than other age groups. we see them using e—cigarettes more as an aid to quit smoking than others, and that seems to be particularly helpful. as well as the range of nhs stop smoking services that we've got that can help them. but pro—smoking capaigners have been criticised the ban, saying it has led to the closure of more than 11,000 pubs in england.

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public support for smoke—free areas has grown, however. a yougov poll today suggests just i2% of people would like to see it overturned. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. world leaders are in strasbourg this lunchtime to commemorate the achievements of helmut kohl, germany's chancellor until 1998, who died fortnight ago. mr kohl — who oversaw germany's reunification — was seen as one of the driving forces behind closer integration on the continent. his coffin, draped in the eu flag, is being taken to the european parliament, and will be buried later, in germany. british airways says it's running almost all of its flights, despite a strike by cabin crew. members of the union, unite, have begun a sixteen day walkout over pay. the government has allowed ba to lease planes and crew from its partner qatar airways during the industrial action. the singer adele has cancelled the final two shows of her world

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tour after damaging her vocal cords. she was due finish a four—date run at london's wembley stadium this weekend. in an apology to fans on twitter the performer said she's "devastated" but took the decision following medical advice. an oil tanker and a cargo ship have collided in the english channel.m happened around two o'clock this morning, according to the coastguard. the tanker, which was loaded with gasoline, has a hole above the water line and damage to the superstructure, the rnli said. the other vessel was also damaged but none of the crew on either ship was injured and there is no pollution link. prince william and prince harry are to that princes william and harry are to attend a private service to re—dedicate their mother's grave, on what would have been princess diana's 56th birthday.

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she is buried at herfamily home, althorp house, in northamptonshire. our royal correspondent, peter hunt reports. september, 1997, and the last public moments of a funeral that transfixed a nation and indeed a world. this was diana princess of wales being brought home to althorp house, near northampton, where she'd lived as a teenager and where her ancestors had lived for generations. with no cameras present, the princess was buried on an island in the middle of an ornamental lake at the heart of this vast private estate. the precise location of her grave has never been made public. the area is being redesigned in her honour in this significant anniversary year. 20 years ago, diana's her ex—husband, prince charles, was there with their sons and her brother and sisters. 20 years on, the future king will be missing, as he is in canada with his wife, the dutchess of cornwall.

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with his father absent, prince william will be joined at today's very private ceremony, by his wife, kate, and their children, george and charlotte. they will attend a service for a mother—in—law and a grandmother they never met. for william and harry, who were just children when diana died, this is the start of a difficult time as they remember their mother, a mother who they say smothered them in love. today at her grave they will reflect and say prayers. peter hunt, bbc news. rugby —— and the british and irish lions have beat new zealand's all blacks —— levelling the three match series. owen farrell's penalty, in the final moments of the game, earned the visitors a 24—21 victory over their hosts. it sets up what will be a thrilling final match next week, as our sports correspondent katie gornall reports, from wellington. weather in rugby can be a great

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leveller and when you're up against the all blacks, it all helps. defeat here and any dreams of the lions making history would be over. for once, the rain was welcomed. 12 yea rs, once, the rain was welcomed. 12 years, new zealand has waited for the return of the lions and these fa ns the return of the lions and these fans know that their team will have to produce the game of their careers and in the wind and the rain in wellington if they are to keep the series alive. they just wellington if they are to keep the series alive. theyjust need to gel into one team. they were a team of stars, hopefully tonight they will be starting. we have a good team picked, the weather is british, wet, damp, stick it up ourjumper and up the middle. there are 30,000 people here, this is a brand that has to live. up against the most fearsome winning machine in sport, the lions had been set up for a bruising encounter. but it takes more than brute force, not the all blacks off their stride. barrett rarely

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falters. the conditions made even the basics a challenge but if there was tension, it certainly was not in the mind of owen farrell who finished this as if he was playing in the park. in such a cauldron, cooler heads were needed, this was not what new zealand had in mind. williams becoming the first all—black to be sent off in any fixture in 50 years. at half—time, fans sensed an opportunity but a man advantage is no guarantee against the all blacks and hopes seemed swept away by the boot of barrett. it was time to be bold, much of what he does goes unnoticed, but not this time. any lion will tell you it is better to be the hunter than the hunted and with their tails up,: merry seized his chance. with the scores level into the final minutes, the lions needed something, a final kick, a final roar, a penalty that keeps the dream alive. this will be a victory that lives long in the memory when the lions found at their teeth. katie gornall reporting. let's take

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a look at the weather. our weather looks a bit better than it does in new zealand. they have had all that heavy rain, most of us having a decent day with some sunny spells. this was the scene earlier today in cornwall. the waves coming in on the shore is there. we have had quite a bit of sunshine in england and wales, the cloud melting away but towards the north—west of the uk, this stripe of cloud you can see working on here is a weatherfront that will continue to bring damp weather and rain. brighter skies later in the day. eventually, we will start to see that lump of cloud syncing cells in england and wales. it could bring patty outbreaks of rain. i don't think there will be much, some areas will stay dry overnight. it will turn windy in scotla nd overnight. it will turn windy in scotland with gales developing across the north with plenty of showers here. those brisk